Fat is a funny thing: while you probably aim to lose it from most areas of your body, when it starts vanishing from your face, you are not likely to be pleased. In your youth, facial fat provides your features with a pleasant fullness, but that fat can slowly droop or disappear as you age.
Dr. Genaro Valladolid, a leading plastic surgeon in Arizona, has helped many patients combat facial volume loss with facial fat grafting. This surgery involves taking fat cells from another area of the body where fat is in excess (such as your belly or hips) and transferring the fat to areas of the face that could benefit from having restored fullness. This is a safe procedure because your body recognizes and adopts its own fat cells.
Some of the areas where facial fat transfer is most useful include:
Cheeks
Your cheeks become gaunter as your body slows its production of collagen and cheek fat sinks lower in the face. Fat grafting is an effective and long-lasting treatment for restoring full cheeks that look round and youthful.
Undereye Hollows
The loss of volume beneath your eyes increases the size of the tear troughs. This makes your eyes appear more sunken into your head. Not only does this age your face, but it also makes you appear more tired, regardless of how much sleep you have had. By transferring fat to the tear troughs, your face looks refreshed, younger and vibrant — all without the dreaded bags.
Chin
Although it is genetic, having a weak or recessed chin can negatively affect the shape of your face. To strengthen your jawline and establish good proportions on your face, you can choose to inject fat at the bottom of your face for a chin enhancement. By expanding the chin, you may also effectively diminish the prominence of your jowls.
Smile Lines
Everyone has slight creases that extend from the edges of the nose to the corners of the mouth, known as nasolabial folds or smile lines. However, these lines become significantly more prominent as facial fat diminishes. By injecting fat cells back into this area, the lines become shallower and less noticeable.
Lips
If you want larger, plumper lips without having to undergo periodic dermal filler injections, inserting fat directly into your lips may be a better long-time solution. Fat grafting is a good choice for women who have seen their lips thin over time and wish to restore some volume.
Rejuvenate Your Face with Your Own Fat
Dr. Valladolid is a board-certified plastic surgeon who is skilled at transferring fat for improved facial contours. To discuss fat grafting options, please schedule a consultation by calling (480) 770-5015 today.